Ethical perspectives on the tenth commandment

Appropriation of the tenth commandment into the teaching and proclamation of the church rests upon the foundation of sound exegesis which respects the covenant context of the Decalogue as it occurs in both Exodus and Deuteronomy. An exploration of this context reveals that the tenth commandment functions both as a summary of the second table, by speaking to the level of motivations and desires that might lead to the violations specified in earlier commandments, and as a recapitulation of the fundamental commitment required in the first table at the level of personal character and spiritual identity. In this light, the prohibition against coveting speaks to the covenant character of the listener in a way that anticipates the New Testament call to a transformation of character through conversion and discipleship. On the basis of this canonical perspective, a series of three brief trajectories are offered which illustrate ways in which the commandment might legitimately speak to issues of social justice, the challenges of contemporary affluence, and sexual lust.